Canada welcomes the news of a joint statement by Armenia and Azerbaijan

December 8, 2023 – Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement:

“Canada welcomes the joint statement by Armenia and Azerbaijan reconfirming their intention to establish and deepen bilateral dialogue and announcing confidence building and goodwill measures offered by the two countries.

“Canada welcomes the release of two Azerbaijani and 32 Armenian servicemembers and positively notes the support the countries have declared to one another in international bodies. We acknowledge this unprecedented opening in political dialogue as a step forward in the ongoing peace process between the two countries.

“We commend Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for their joint efforts towards establishing peace and stability in the region. Canada supports a negotiated political solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, based on the Helsinki principles, and encourages further concrete confidence building measures between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“Canada encourages the continuation of dialogue between the parties and remains committed to support peace and stability in the South Caucasus.”